Hartsville, S.C. – The Coker Lady cobras Softball narrowly defeated the Barton Bulldogs in a Conference Carolinas softball doubleheader on Wednesday afternoon. Coker just barely squeezed out a 2-1 win in game one, and then took home a 3-1 victory in game two. The wins improve the Lady Cobras to 28-10 overall, and 13-1 in the conference, while Barton falls to 13-20 overall, and 5-7 in the conference.

Game OneIn the first game Coker took an early 1-0 lead on a very bizarre play. With Ashton Williamson (Pelion, SC) on third base and one out, Kimberly Atkinson (McBee, SC) fit a pop fly in foul territory near the first base dugout. Both the first baseman and the catcher for Barton ran to catch the ball leaving the plate unoccupied. When the first baseman caught the ball, Williamson tagged up from third and was able to score; giving Atkinson an RBI for fouling out to first and the Lady Cobras took a 1-0 lead.

The score remained 1-0 through the next four innings, as Barton’s Claire Severt and Coker’s Shelly Catlett 9Ornageburg, SC) battled it out on the mound, allowing no runs and just five combined hits until the sixth inning.

In the sixth, Barton finally cracked the scoring column, as Jessica McFadden was able to score on a sacrifice bunt from Mindy Tripp, tying the game at one. Luckily for Lady Cobras, they too were able to get back on the board in the sixth, as Coker took advantage of a pair of Bulldog errors and an RBI single from Anna Lucas (McBee, SC) to reclaim their one run lead.

After that it was all up to Catlett, as she sat down the Bulldogs in order, recording the final out of the game on a strike out, her tenth of the game.

Catlett (19-5) earned the win, going a full seven innings, allowing just one run on four hits, with 10 strike outs.

Severt took the loss, allowing two runs on six hits with four strike outs in six innings of work.

Lucas was the leading hitter in game one, going 1-for-3 with an RBI, while Williamson and Jessica Blackwell (Hartsville, SC) were 1-for-3 with a run scored. Catlett, Eunice Nettles (Pelion, SC), and Miranda Klees (Murrells Inlet, SC) each collected a hit in the game.

For Barton, McFadden was a perfect 3-for-3 with a run scored, while Tripp was 0-for-2 with an RBI and Amber Fletcher was 1-for-3.

Game TwoThe second game started much like the first, but things were switched just a little, as Barton was the first to score, thanks to a one out triple from Fletcher and a sacrifice fly to score her by Tripp in the top of the first, giving the Bulldogs a 1-0 lead.

The Lady Cobras bounced back with two runs in the second inning, with the help of a two-run home run by Whitney Wallett (Shermans Dale, PA) to put the Cobras on top 2-1.

The next three innings became another pitching duel, this time it was Kim Page of Barton against Catlett, with neither surrendering a run over three innings, while allowing just seven hits between the two of them.

Coker gave themselves a little breathing room in the bottom of the sixth, as Klees blasted a ball over the head of McFadden in center field, bringing home a run and giving the Lady Cobras a 3-1 lead.

Catlett (20-5) was again able to close the door on the Bulldogs in the seventh, sitting them down in order and preserving her twentieth win of the season. She threw her second complete game of the day, allowing just one run on seven hits, while striking out four.

Page took the loss, allowing three runs on seven hits, with two strike outs over six innings.

Lucas and Williamson both collected multiple hits in the game, going 2-for-3, while Wallett was 1-for-2 with a home run, two RBIs and a run scored and Klees was 1-for-2 with a double and an RBI.

Fletcher finished the game 2-for03 with a triple and a run scored, while Tripp was 1-for-2 with an RBI. Emily Sale was 1-for-3 with a double and Natalie Phipps and Rebecca DiPietro were each 1-for-3.

The Lady Cobras return to the diamond on Saturday, April 5, as they host North Greenville, in a non-conference doubleheader starting at 2:00 p.m.